Frequently Asked Questions for The Humane Society of the United States' Spay Day USA Pet Photo Contest

Can I enter a deceased pet in the contest?

We are so sorry to hear about the loss of your pet and hope that your grief will soon be replaced by happy memories. Entering a deceased pet is absolutely fine, and in fact we encourage you to enter him or her into the contest. It would be a wonderful tribute.

Can I enter more than one pet in the contest, or one photo showing multiple pets?

You are free to enter as many pets as you would like. You can enter each one separately, enter one picture of all your pets together, or both.

Can I enter a photo showing a human being along with my pet(s)? Can the person be a child?

Yes, you are welcome to enter a photo that shows a person with your pet. Pictures that include children are also acceptable. Please be aware, however, that the image will be viewable on a publicly accessible website as part of this photo contest.

Do I have to be the guardian of the pet whose photo I want to enter?

You do not have to be the guardian of the pet whose photo you want to enter, however, you must be the owner of the submitted image. If a pet who lives with someone else has improved your life, we'd love to hear about it.

Can I enter the contest through the mail, or by emailing you a photograph?

We're very sorry, but the only way to enter the photo contest is through the five-step process at http://www.spaydayusa.org. If you do not have any digital images of your pet you can use a scan of a printed photo (saved as a "jpeg") to upload when entering the contest.

The reason for this is that The Humane Society of the United States does not have the staffing available to scan images and upload them to the website or enter emailed images into the contest. It is something we would love to be able to offer, but given the many animal protection programs we run with limited budget and staff, it is just not possible at this time. If you have a printed photograph and do not have a scanner or computer, we hope you will be able to find a friend or neighbor who can help you enter the contest.

When does the contest end?

You may enter the contest up until midnight, Eastern Time, Friday, March 7, 2008.

Can I enter even though I do not live in the United States?

Yes, non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. residents can enter the contest. However, there are restrictions on which prizes non-U.S. winners can win. Please see our contest rules for details.

I can't find my entry

To see if your entry uploaded to the contest website, you'll need to login to view it. Go to http://www.spaydayusa.org/user/login.shtml. Login using the registration information that was sent to you (check your email service's spam filter if you did not receive an email message with your user ID and password).

After logging in, if you do not have an entry on the site, you will be taken to Step 1: Tell Us About Your Pet. You can re-enter the contest from this page. If you do have an entry on the site, you will land on a page that begins with the sentence ““You've successfully entered the Spay Day USA Pet Photo Contest!” You will be able to see your finished entry on this page.

I discovered a typo in my written description. Can I edit it? I found a better photograph to use. Can I change my photo?

You may edit your pet's name or your write-up, but you will need to re-enter the contest to enter a different photo. First, go to http://www.spaydayusa.org/user/login.shtml. Login using the registration information that was sent to you (check your email service's spam filter if you did not receive an email message with your user ID and password).

After logging in, you will land on a page that begins with the sentence "You've successfully entered the Spay Day USA Pet Photo Contest!" and instructions for Step 6. On this page, click on "Edit" next to your entry. This will take you to a page on which you can edit your text. Be sure to hit the "Save" button after you put in your revised text.

My photo is missing or is appearing sideways. How can I fix this? Can I upload a different photo? Can I delete my entry?

If your photo did not upload properly or you would like to change your photo, you should delete your entry and re-enter the contest. We recommend first entering again, then deleting the incorrect entry.

Go to http://www.spaydayusa.org/user/login.shtml. Login using the registration information that was sent to you (check your email service's spam filter if you did not receive an email message with your user ID and password).

After logging in, you will land on a page that begins with the sentence "You've successfully entered the Spay Day USA Pet Photo Contest!" Click on the word "Edit" next to your entry on this page. You will be taken to another page titled "Image Detail." To delete your entry, click on the "Reset" button. This will delete your entry and bring you to Step 1 of the entry process so that you can enter the contest again if you choose to do so.

When you delete an entry, votes for your pet will be deleted as well. Your friends and family can vote again for your new entry.

How can someone find my pet on the Spay Day USA Pet Photo Contest website?

From the home page of the contest site, go to the Search/Vote page. Enter the pet's name or the owner's last name in the box that reads "enter search terms." Be sure to choose the correct category in the Search Choices box immediately below. Then, click on "Search" (do not hit the Enter key on your keyboard as this will simply reload the page).

How can I vote for a pet? My vote does not seem to be registering. Why not?

Your vote will only be registered if you vote on the Spay Day USA Pet Photo Contest website. Go to http://www.spaydayusa.org/rate.html and search for the pet you want to vote for.

You must either be logged in with the login information you used to enter the contest or you must provide an email address to vote.

Mouse over a thumbnail image to read about a pet and see a larger image.

Click the Vote for Me! button under the thumbnail image of a pet. A small window will pop up in which you must type a valid email address, click the Submit button and close the window. You must then click on the Vote for Me! button again. Once you see the thank-you message, your vote has been recorded. The number of votes will then increase by one. Votes, however, are updated for the whole page every 10 minutes. If you go away from the page on which you voted and back, you may not see the vote you just placed for another 10 minutes.

You can only vote for each pet once, but you can vote for multiple pets.


Can I vote for more than one pet? How many times can I vote?

You can vote for as many pets as you'd like. However, you may only vote for each pet once.

What do I win if I am a top vote-getter?

After the contest ends and the votes are analyzed, The HSUS will determine who the top 500 vote-getters are. The top 500 vote-getters will win a bottle of Nature's Miracle stain and odor remover. Those 500 entries will be entered into a random drawing to win one of ten custom pet portraits. All 500 top vote-getters will have an equal chance of winning a custom pet portrait.

How will The HSUS ensure that the voting is fair?

Entries that have been tampered with or otherwise affect the fair administration of the contest will not be eligible to receive prizes. After the contest, The HSUS and its web developers will analyze the voting and, at The HSUS's sole discretion, and in accordance with the Limitations of Liability section of the contest rules, disqualify any entry or any votes that The HSUS deems to be suspect.

I am an employee or volunteer of a participating Spay Day USA organization. How can we win the $5000 grant that is part of the Grand Prize?

If you have already requested that your organization be added to the list of potential beneficiaries (the deadline has passed), ask your fellow volunteers, employees and supporters to enter the contest! If they submit the photo and write-up judged the very best by our panel of celebrity judges, they will have the opportunity to designate the $5000 grant to your organization, provided your organization has fulfilled all eligibility requirements http://www.hsus.org/pets. An entry does not need to get votes to be a Grand Prize winner.

I am having technical problems entering the contest. I have a question that is not answered here or in the contest rules. Can someone help me?

If you have read our Frequently Asked Questions and still have questions or are experiencing technical difficulties entering the contest, please contact us at photocontest@humanesociety.org. When contacting us, please be specific about the technical problems you are having and include the name and email address you used when entering the contest, your pet's name and the type of pet.


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The Humane Society of the United States | 2100 L Street, NW | Washington, DC 20037
Questions? Check our Frequently Asked Questions | Contact: photocontest@humanesociety.org | humanesociety.org